Jess: Respawning in 3...2...1...

[Jessikuh]

 

Never has this graphic been more true to me. I’ve been all lost and turned around somewhere in that clusterfuck of squiggles.

I’m sure the vast majority of people here, and in the world in general  can relate to the frustrations of plateaus and setbacks. I’ve let them get me down for far too long, and have fallen back into the old habits of trying to crash diet to get back to my lowest weight so I can go from there. The results have been exactly as you would expect. I’ve gained 14 pounds in 4 months from my lowest weight. However frustrating it is, it’s a good reminder not to let myself slip back into old habits. 

 

So what if my shorts are fitting a bit tighter. So if I haven’t run a ten minute mile in months. So what I’m the only person in my Exercise Science club at school who can’t do a pushup or a proper box jump. I’ll get there. It’s not going to happen today.

 

I am where I am now, and I’m not going to be able to snap my fingers and put myself back where I used to be. It’s going to take some time.  It’s a journey, an adventure. Not a race. I’m a freaking superhero when I let myself be.

 

 

My name is Jess. I'm 22, and I'm on a quest to lose 100 pounds and get strong, fast, agile and healthy. As of this morning, I am 22.5 pounds down from my highest weight. And for this challenge (and for the rest of my life), I want to focus on my health first and weight second. 

 

Goals

 

Eat Paleo  (+3 CON, +1 WIS)

 

I have a problem with sugar. I’d actually call it an abusive relationship with carbs. When I’m stressed, I can’t be bothered to cook, and end up eating terribly most nights of the week.

I don’t particularly want to delve into it, but these last few months have been stressful. Now that things are starting to take a small, but noticeable upturn, I need to get my diet back under control. I’m going to go back to eating paleo, specifically minimizing my grain and refined sugar intake. 

I'm applying the two in a row rule to this one. Never miss two good meals, never miss two workouts in a row. So...

 

Don't miss two Paleo meals in a row to earn an A in this category.

 

Bodyweight Training  (+3 DEX, +2 STR)

I’ve been doing group fitness at my school Monday-Thursday before my classes, (Zumba twice a week and Body Sculpting twice a week) and I’ve come to learn a few things about my body.

 

My balance is embarrassingly abhorrent.

My legs are a powerhouse.

My triceps have been horribly neglected my entire life.

My coordination actually isn’t as bad as I thought it was. 

I have no upper body strength.

My cardio stamina is rather impressive given the approximate extra 50-70 pounds of body fat I’m carrying.

My spirit is far stronger than my body.

 

I did a Spartan Sprint in February and absolutely fell in love with obstacle course racing. I’ve decided that in 2016 I want to try for the trifecta, and to do that, I need to train and train consistently. 

 

So here is my Level 4 Training:

1 Sun Salutation

30 ft Bear Crawl

4-10 Pyramid Pushups

20 Kettlebell Swings 

20 Russian Twists 

10 Burpees

MAX Plank

MAX Pull-Up Hang

 

 

 

Do this three times per week to earn an A in this category.

 

 

Increase Flexibility (+2 STA, +1 CHA)

 

 

One of the things I mentioned is that my core stability, balance and flexibility are all terrible. I am so bad about not stretching after working out, and I pay the price for it every single time. The morning after is always hell. I want to make it a good point to stretch after every workout, and do some deep meditative stretching before I go to sleep. Hopefully this will alleviate the problem.

 

Take some time out of everyday, even if it's only 5 minutes, to stretch, practice basic yoga, or meditate to earn an A in this category.

 

Spend some more time outside (+1 WIS +2 CHA)

 

I like being outside. Actually, I love being outside. And somewhere between being stuck between school and work and the gym and the library, I forgot how much I love it. I sat out on the lawn under a tree to do my homework yesterday instead of sitting in the library and it put me in such a great mood. I don’t want to forget how therapeutic the clean air and sunshine is. It’s good for my soul to be outside.

 

Spend a cumulative hour outdoors every day to earn an A in this category.

 

 

Motivation- (Same list from my very first challenge. I'm crossing things off as I complete them, and adding new ones as I come up with them)

 

I'm tired of being fat.

 

I've been obese since childhood and it sucks. I really love doing sports and outdoor activities, but my weight makes it really friggin hard.

 

• I want to be strong, energetic and healthy and active.
• I no longer want to be the obese chick in the Exercise Science department at my school.
• I want to be able to do recreational sports Complete Aug 8, 2014

• I want to be able to shop at normal clothing stores, wear shirts without sleeves and dresses without tights. Complete September 29, 2014
• I want to buy a swimsuit for the first time since the 8th grade.  Complete July 5, 2014

• I want to learn how to dance without running out of breath halfway through a song. Complete April 9, 2015
• I want to be strong enough to do a cartwheel. It's a little silly, but when I was a kid, I got made fun of for not being able to do one.  
• I want to run an entire 5k without stopping, and run a marathon one day.
• Join the ranks of the Spartan Trifecta Warriors

 

I’m really excited that I got to cross off ‘learning to dance’ off my checklist this month. I’ve been taking a zumba class twice a week since mid-January. I wanted to quit after the first class I was so embarrassed of how bad my dancing was. But I paid $84 for it and was too stubborn to not get my money’s worth, so I stuck with it. Now, three months later, I can make it through the entire one hour class with only the 15 second breaks between songs for a breather.  I can’t believe how naturally it comes to me now in comparison to three months ago. I look forward to it, and want to look into taking another Zumba class over the summer at another establishment since they don’t offer it at the college.

 

Wow this was a lot to type. I want to note too that this is my one year anniversary from my very first six week challenge. It seemed like a great day to respawn.

Go get 'em rebels.

[Mad Hatter]

Any day is a great day to respawn! Great goals and best of luck!

 

And congrats on the zumba!

[shaar]

YAY YAY FELLOW CAMPERS <3

 

Ugh, the neglected triceps, ugh.  I begrudgingly added skullcrushers to my lifting regime because, triceps. ;____;

 

I've been working on more flexibility too and it is PRICELESS in helping my workouts!! *_*  Your goals rock, go get 'em!!

[kaelvan]

Good luck dear.

 

[Jessikuh]

So this weekend was off to a fantastic start. 
This is normally around the time of year that I get sick. This time last year I caught strep and then was diagnosed with asthma. Good times were had by all. 
This past week I've been feeling just kind of... off. A little dizzy, kind of nauseous. I was pretty sick in the middle of last week, but I thought it had went away. 
Wellllll on Saturday night I was just like doing stuff around my house and I got really dizzy and got these crazy heart palpitation and my chest was all tight and I had a hard time catching my breath.
 
So what do I do? Check WebMd. Smart right?
WebMd tells me I'm either one of ten thousand things, but I'm most likely having a stroke or a heart attack, because that's definitely what happens to all 22-year olds who get kind of dizzy and short of breath. I kind of flipped out and went to Urgent Care, for them to tell me 'you're totally fine, you're just stressed as shit.'
So they diagnosed me with anxiety, gave me some Xanax and sent me on my merry way.
I didn't think that stress could affect a person so badly. 
 
In more exciting news, I cooked fish for the very first time this weekend. It turned out AMAZING.
 

 
I'm excited for the first day of this challenge to start officially! I'm trying to bug a friend into doing it with me. I think this is something she'd be into. (Yay for nerd friends.)
 
I wrote up my level 4 training too.

ADVICE NERDS:
I take a body sculpting class on Mon/Wed (Cross-fit kind of stuff) and Zumba on Tues/Thur. What would be the best days for me to do my bodyweight workout? Is it better to double up on M/W/F so my muscles can rest in between, or space it in between so I get cardio and strength on T/Th/Sat?
 
Agh decisions decisions.
 
Also: Stats.

Before Pictures for this six weeks. (ugh kill me now)

 

 

Weight 228.5 lbs 
Measurements- 45-39-47  XL Shirts 16/18 Pants 38DD Bra 

That was painful to write out, but it's okay. I'll get back to where I once was, and smaller than that even. 

[shaar]

Oh man I had stress palpitations once.  I was terrified my heart was going to stop or something (because hypochondriac, yay) so I went to my doctor for a barrage of tests which all came back totally clean... so yup, stress.  It's CRAZY what stress can do (and how it can terrify you).  I've been back to normal ever since.

 

That fish looks delicious!!!!  I love fish, nom.

 

As far as your schedule if it were up to me, I'd keep cardio on certain days, and strength on others to keep things separate.  It's just my personal preference though!

 

Ugghhh I did my starting photos and measurements and it was painful to get out there.  BUT, you're right, it's okay and it's a good starting point and motivator to make things better!! 

[Jessikuh]

The past two weeks have been alright. Training has been great- but my diet has been pretty mediocre. :/

 

New muscles are sore pretty much every day. I think that in itself is an accomplishment. It means I'm doing something right.

I'm really really close to doing a full pushup. 

 

I haven't stayed great with Paleo. It was my best friend's 21st birthday last weekend, and for the first time ever I went out bar hopping. And what I think people call 'clubbing'? I think I did some of that. All I know is it was loud and crowded and there were so many flashing lights and I couldn't hear anything and people kept touching me and I felt like my brain was going to implode.

 

But I'm keeping on keeping on. It's starting to get really nice outside.

 

I haven't weighed myself yet since the challenge started, which I think may be a record for me or something. I might just try and keep it until the end of the six weeks, because I know I tend to get more discouraged when my weight fluctuates. 

 

GUYS THERE'S ONLY 155 DAYS LEFT UNTIL CAMP.

Agh! I just had to put that out there. I'm so excited. Hope everyone's doing well. And I hope I get to post a little more often... but finals are coming up. 

 

Happy Tuesday!